Wang Zhongxiu looked at the paper and pen on the desk, sitting there unable to say a word.
Wang Zhongxiu was a yamen and had followed Wang Gui for many years. He was not a playboy like that. On the contrary, he was quite knowledgeable. Although the idea of using inside information to sell salt money short was not what he first thought of, it was the first thing he did.
At Wang Gui's position, there are many talented people in the palace. No matter what the original suggestions and original intentions were, Wang Zhongxiu's ability to apply other people's methods to reality and achieve success is a first-class ability.
Wang Zhongxiu has some kind of genius in business, or he is crooked.
Zhang Yue asked Wang Zhongxiu to write it, and Wang Zhongxiu also knew that once this thing fell into Zhang Yue's hands, he would be giving the other party the clue.
"Mr. sir, do you really want to write?"
Wang Zhongxiu begged a little.
"The shortfall of two hundred thousand salt banknotes! No one in the world can cover it up, except the truth. If you don't give me an explanation, only your father-in-law will explain it to Your Majesty together with you."
Wang Zhongxiu frowned and said nothing, reluctant to pick up the pen.
Zhang Yue said: "I am so disappointed that the government office is so indecisive."
Wang Zhongxiu said: "If we accept the compensation, my Wang family will be ruined."
Zhang Yue said: "I will definitely not go bankrupt. There will be a low point later, and of course it won't be too low. After all, the news has been released."
"You will replenish the short-sold salt banknotes within ten days and return the nearly 200,000 salt banknotes to the Exchange. Paper cannot cover the fire."
Wang Zhongxiu asked tentatively: "How low is this low?"
Zhang Yue gave an affirmative answer: "A little more than ten strings. Remember, there is only one chance, and the opportunity is fleeting! Don't think about it being lower in the future."
"Of course, if it is low, it will be even lower. People are dissatisfied. Know when enough is enough, and you should prepare enough money in advance."
Wang Zhongxiu thought, he would have bought it today if he had known this, and said: "I will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for this!"
Zhang Yue said: "It's not you, it's you. Besides, you have made a lot of money over the years. In business, there is no way you can only make money but not lose money."
"Now that we have reached this point, we will inevitably have to live frugally and frugally for several years in the future."
"Yes, these hundreds of thousands of dollars are for the salt merchants and the common people. I don't want a penny here."
Wang Zhongxiu covered his face and said with a wry smile: "Thank you very much. I really want to thank Xianggong Zhang for his great kindness."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Brother, for your father's sake, this is easy enough to discuss."
"Did I dig the dam on purpose and let the water flood the pond?"
"Am I telling you that the salt banknotes are bound to plummet and telling you to take the opportunity to sell short?"
"If the deficit of hundreds of thousands of salt banknotes cannot be made up, your entire family will be handed over to the court. Don't feel entitled, just don't take money seriously at all."
"This is more than one million yuan! No matter how powerful you are, you can't block this hole!"
After speaking, Zhang Yue pushed the pen and paper in front of Wang Zhongxiu.
In the end, Wang Zhongxiu wrote it down tremblingly, and it took him half an hour to finish it. In the end, Zhang Yue even asked the other party to read it to the paper.
After Zhang Yue accepted it, he said to Wang Zhongxiu: "Let the other yamen write it down one by one."
"That's how it's written! Don't wait until it expires."
Wang Zhongxiu's mouth trembled, but he still walked out.
Zhang Yue picked up Wang Zhongxiu's confession and read it for a long time, then said to Peng Jingyi who was standing aside: "Show it to Wu Dayai for review."
"Remember, don't let him tear the paper."
When he walked out of Zhang's Mansion, Wang Zhongxiu looked at the thick night. He didn't know how to explain to Wang Gui when he went back.
The Wang family has been an official for many generations, and when he was young, he had some thoughts about studying for the imperial examination and making progress. But when his father became prime minister, he knew that it would be difficult for him to make progress in his official career, and in the end, his appointment as magistrate was the end.
Since his career was hopeless, he wanted to make money to make up for the regrets in his life.
He was thinking that since he could not be a high official in this life, he was not allowed to use money to compensate himself.
Money and power are always the same in life.
You can't get everything.
"Brother Wang!"
"Ya Nei!"
Seeing his distraught appearance, the servant wanted to reach out to help him, but Wang Zhongxiu waved his hand and said: "They don't know the situation yet, I want to explain it quickly."
Wang Zhongxiu took a carriage and arrived at the place where he met several yamen.
Several people were discussing in the dark room, their brows furrowed.
Someone said, "I am a swordsman for you and I am a fish for you", but nothing more happened.
No one expected that Zhang Yue would have trouble with them this time and that he would handle the matter in such a tricky manner.
"What, you've already written a confession, doesn't it mean that you'll have the leverage in his hands from now on?"
"My Wang family has the largest number of short-sold salt bills here. Once the lid is lifted, you may be fine, but when it comes to me, you can't avoid it! I can't bring trouble to my father."
One person sighed: "I can't collect enough money at once. My father is already living in his old age. He is not concerned about government affairs. How dare I alert him to this matter?"
"Go and borrow, go and get credit! Let's each find our own way."
"Everyone wants to be more open-minded. If we keep to ourselves in the future, Prime Minister Zhang will not cause us any trouble again."
All the officials sighed and took up their pens to write confessions.
Before tomorrow, if the undelivered salt banknotes are not accounted for, the imperial court will immediately come to arrest people. Who said that these yamen will not come forward in person, but the money still has to be given, and it is the delivery price of fifteen thousand dollars per seat at the closing of the market today.
So Zhang Yue gave them a ten-day grace period and let them collect the money themselves.
The few yamen still recognized the current situation and acted like heroes, so they admitted their losses and left. At the same time, they also gave Zhang Yue something they could control for the rest of their lives.
The others couldn't accept it for a while, but Wang Zhongxiu saw it through at this time, and even said with some relief: "Actually, thinking about it, I still admire Prime Minister Zhang's method. With this wonderful move, the salt banknote was immediately brought back to life."
Everyone didn't know what to say and handed the papers to Wang Zhongxiu one by one.
Wang Zhongxiu smiled bitterly and said, "I have to make a second trip."
…
Wu Anshi threw the tea bowl, rice bowl, and vegetable bowl on the ground to vent his dissatisfaction. In the last lawsuit, he was arrested by Cai Que, and in the end he was sentenced to the heaviest sentence, and he was deprived of three official positions in a row.
Zhang Yue did not intercede with Cai Que at all.
And this time, he didn't even see himself.
Wu Anshi has always been resentful in his heart. He always felt that Zhang Yue was where he is today because of the influence of his Wu family.
He is the eldest son of Wu Chong, so this kind of kindness will naturally fall on him in the future. But Zhang Yue, as the son-in-law who has received great kindness from the Wu family, has no sense of gratitude at all.
Later he understood that Zhang Yue was not ungrateful. He had taken care of and supported his brother Wu Anzhi and the husbands of the sisters of Qi Niang, but he had only neglected himself.
He understood what his father once said to him.
Favor is only considered a favor if the other party takes the initiative to mention it, and it is hatred if you mention it yourself.
What Wu Anshi had always been unable to figure out was now somewhat understood. At this time, Peng Jingyi came in and took out a confession.
ps: To clarify a mistake, the above mentioned salt banknotes are worth three million guan a year. This is profit. The author mistakenly thought it was income. In fact, the salt banknotes issued by the court in a year are less than 2 million guan.
The annual output of Shangjieyanyanchi is about 1.1 million seats.
The excess is an inflated estimate of salt money.
Based on the historical calculation of five guan and 500 qian per seat, the imperial court's annual salt banknote issuance was calculated to be around 11 million guan.